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by messed up stargazer
Summary: Tony and Clint just can't seem to stay out of trouble. This mission is particualrly trouble. One of them might not make it alive. Rated for language. R&R! Better than the summary!


"If this is how all our missions together go, I'm never taking you again. Life sign detector be damned." Clint groaned, now conscious. Finally. Tony'd been getting worried.

"You're just saying that because of the concussion we both have." Tony grinned at the archer, who was now raising his head slightly and blinking. It was really dark but Tony could see the faint outline of Clint's face due to the arc reactor.

"No. I mean it. I'm not letting Fury talk me into bringing you again." Clint said, letting his head drop back down onto the ground. Not that that was comfortable.

"Your short term memory still good?" Tony asked, wanting to make sure the other man's concussion wasn't major.

"Yep. Company building front for AIM, we sneak in, start hacking, BOOM, we both wake up here. How long?" Clint asked his eyes half-closed.

"Not sure. Jarvis is still rebooting. But I did make sure the info was sent to Fury before a building fell on us." Tony said.

"Good. Guess you aren't completely useless." Clint had the barest hints of a smile.

"I am more than useful! Haven't I told you that?" Tony protested.

"Several times a day." Clint groaned.

"That's because it's true." Tony grinned at the archer.

Clint laughed quietly.

Tony noticed it immediately. Clint was never this quiet. "Are you okay?"

Clint 'mm- hmm' ed as an answer.

Tony's heart beat faster, well, metaphorically. This behavior was way out of character for Clint. Clint was a lot like him with his responses. Snarky, sarcastic, sharp, and sometimes biting. But now Clint's eyes were closed and his chest was rising slowly. Too slowly.

"Dude, in all seriousness, are you hurt?" Tony asked, keeping the creeping panic out of his voice.

It was bad enough they were trapped underneath tons of rubble, unaware if anyone was coming to help them, with no real way of contacting help. Now something was wrong with Clint.

_Isn't today just going all to shit?_Tony thought.

"Leg. Right one." Clint muttered, his voice starting to fade a little as the facade dropped.

Tony took off his helmet and carefully moved over to the archer. Tony removed a glove and felt along Clint's right leg. There he found a long, deep gash that was bleeding slowly. Clint hissed in pain as he did.

"Shit." Clint moaned, panting slightly. "That really hurt."

"I know I'm no doctor but that was long, deep and infected." Tony said, now starting to feel the familiar rush of adrenaline. Clint was hurt and they didn't have a single medical supply.

"I know. Felt it as soon as I woke up." Clint's voice was now considerably weaker.

"Don't worry. Steve is gonna find us and Natasha is gonna be yelling at you in no time." Tony said, reassuring himself as much as Clint.

"Careful there Iron Idiot. Don't go making promises you can't keep." Clint whispered.

"I'm not. Besides I'd be given the Widow's bite if I let you die and I rather like living." Tony grinned, trying to keep upbeat.

"You're right. Tasha would kill you." Clint chuckled softly and then groaned. "Tony, remind me not to move anymore."

"Okay. Just stay awake, Clint. We'll get through this." Tony gently patted Clint's left leg.

Clint didn't answer.

"Clinton Barton you open your eyes this instant or I will tell everyone at SHIELD you slept with Agent Hill!" Tony threatened, more worried for Clint than actually meaning the threat.

"You wouldn't." Clint's voice had a sliver of fear in it, as he dragged his eyes open.

"I would and you know it. You need to stay awake until the medical team gets here." Tony ordered releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Clint raised a shaky hand in mock salute.

"That's better. Now start talking. I'll listen." Tony said.

"Who're you and what have you done with Tony?" Clint's teeth started chattering.

Tony put his ungloved hand on Clint's forehead and nearly jumped the man's forehead was so hot.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Tony hissed under his breath. Clint was beyond burning up and he didn't have a drop of water to give to his teammate.

Clint didn't answer him.

"Clint, you still with me?" Tony asked.

"Don't wanna be." Came the response. At least Clint had the strength to give a sarcastic remark once.

"Hold onto that. Just talk to me. Stay awake. Tell me about... your family." Tony said the first thing to pop into his mind.

"Not much to tell. Parents died in a car crash. Orphan. Had a brother but I don't talk to him anymore. Don't apologize. If I'm gonna get pitied, it should be being taken in my prime. Not cause of that." Clint moaned, the shivering spread to his whole body. Tony could practically see the waves of pain coming off of him.

"What about the stuff you like to do?" Tony asked, trying to keep his friend awake.

"Archery. Training. Sparring. Kicking ass." Clint answered.

Tony laughed harshly. "What about recreationally? I mean, I have my inventions, Steve loves to draw, Thor has wrestling, Bruce reads and skillfully avoids my pointy things, Natasha has... well I don't know what she has but I'm sure it's something."

"Knives." Clint breathed.

"What?"

"She likes knives." Clint said. "And I never had much time for that stuff. Always had a new target or mission."

Clint's voice was considerably slower and his words messier.

_Please come soon Steve. Or you're only gonna need a medical team for one._

Then Tony's helmet beeped. Jarvis had rebooted and wanted to talk to him. He put his helmet back on.

"Jarvis you got anything?" Tony asked.

"I have Captain Rogers, sir." The AI said.

"Steve? Thank God! Where are you?" Tony all but yelled.

"Right above you. We've been digging for hours. We just got through a little bit. We'll be able to send some supplies down soon. What do you need?" Steve's calm voice was like ambrosia.

"Water. ASAP! Clint's hurt. Bad. He's got a fever and a pretty infected cut." Tony relayed.

"Understood. Don't worry, Tony. We'll get you out of there in no time." Steve said.

Tony took the helmet off and focused back on his friend. "Clint you still with me?"

"T'ny?" Clint's voice was barely audible.

"I'm here. Come on, Clint, wake up more. Steve's almost through. Water's coming." Tony urged.

"Tell- tell Nat-"

"NO! I will not tell her anything because you are getting out of this alive! I won't bury you Clint!" Tony shouted, refusing to give up.

Clint went on as if Tony hadn't spoken. "she was the best partner I could've asked for. And Tony?"

Tony didn't answer.

"You were- a good friend."

Clint's eyes rolled up inside his head and he went completely still.

"Clint? CLINT!"

Tony screamed the man's name, shook him, slapped him, but nothing happened. Clint's breathing was shallow and uneven. Tony slammed the helmet back on.

"No time is less than you have, Steve. I need that water five minutes ago! Clint just passed out!" Tony shouted, panic building and overflowing in his chest. It seemed like hours before water was dropped quickly into the little hole Tony called Hell. Tony snatched it away and gently tipped it into Clint's slack mouth. The archer twitched but didn't wake.

"You're going to fucking beat this, Clint. You didn't survive all that shit with Loki just to die here! Come on man! You're my best friend! I don't know what I'd do if I lost you! I don't think I can watch Fury give Natasha your fucking flag. Please buddy wake up!" Tony shouted, but it never did a thing.

He could've shouted himself hoarse but it wasn't going to work. The medical supplies came next but Tony barely knew what to do with them. He tried wrapping Clint's leg but he didn't even know if that was a good thing.

"Tony? Tony! You there?" Steve was shouting into his radio.

"I'm here." Tony hissed.

"We got a way out. But it's risky. We could crush you both, but we could also get you out much faster. What do you say?" Steve asked.

"Anything. Just do it." Tony ordered.

He wasn't sure what was about to happen but when the ceiling, if you could call crushed debris a ceiling, started rumbling he threw himself over Clint's slack body. Tony made sure every ounce of Clint was under him, and when the first rock fell down on him, he was glad he had a shield like the armor.

He wasn't going to lose Clint... he wasn't going to... he wasn't... a sickening thud... a blinding pain... Then nothing. Just blackness.

* * *

When Tony came to, he was lying on a very comfortable bed. He felt kind of floaty and distant, not unlike the pain in his head. He swore to himself to never speak of this. Clint would-CLINT! Tony snapped his eyes open and sat up quickly. Tony looked around, trying to figure out where the Hell he was. The room was white. That meant the SHIELD medical bay, and he wasn't alone. Steve was sleeping in one of those horrendous hospital chairs but that barely calmed Tony down.

"Whoa there Iron Ass." A familiar voice, exhausted but there, said, chuckling lightly.

"Clint, are you all right?" Tony's facade of uncaring and stupid long forgotten.

"I'm fine. Well, mostly. The leg is wrapped up but somehow you managed to save it. Not that I know how..." Clint grinned.

"You scared me Hawk- idiot!" Tony snapped.

"Gasp! I scared Tony stark? I thought that was impossible." Clint laughed.

"Ah shut up. I'm the one who saved your ass." Tony quipped.

"Uh, about that... thanks." Clint whispered.

"What? What was that? I can't hear you! You'll have to speak louder!" Tony shouted and Clint laughed loudly, using all of his returned voice.

Those actions woke Steve who broke into a grin. "Glad you two decided to join us."

"How long were we out?" Clint asked. He always had the spy first.

"Well let's see. There was the nine before we made contact, the one from when we let Thor and Mjölnir loose on the rubble. He made the tunnel collapse but we got to you nonetheless. And then there was the fourteen you were both out from the concussions and other injuries. I like to think the last four you were both being lazy and kept on sleeping." Steve answered.

"Twenty-eight hours? We were out for twenty eight hours?" Clint exclaimed.

"Yeah. Stay calm. Not even Fury's mad at you for taking down an entire building. He says you didn't screw up too bad." Steve smiled.

"He said that?" Tony asked. That seemed awful quiet for Fury.

"He said something else but we didn't say that in my day." Steve all but shuddered in disgust.

Tony and Clint laughed loudly.

"You two want anything to eat?" Steve asked, suddenly realizing his friends had gone without food for hours.

"Yeah. I want an American hamburger. Make it a double." Tony ordered.

"Make it two." Clint grinned, licking his lips.

Steve nodded and headed out. After he returned, the two nearly shoved the items down their throat. Satisfied with the meal, and exhausted from the long conversation that happened after when just about all the other Avengers came in(Natasha was on a another mission) with the lights dimmed, the two men fell into a deep silence but one they were both comfortable with.

"Just so you know Tony, you're my best friend too." Clint muttered as he slipped underneath the sea of sleep.

Thankfully or unfortunately, depends on who you ask, Clint closed his eyes and couldn't see the blush on Tony's cheeks.


End file.
